Elk Grove neighborhood near Laguna Blvd. and Harbor Point appears in this composite photograph of three images digitally stitched together on Monday, October 31, 2011.
Randall Benton
rbenton@sacbee.com

The economy is improving, the unemployment rate is dropping, but hundreds of thousands of Californians between ages 25 and 34 still can't seem to leave their childhood home.

About 1.3 million Californians between the ages of 25 and 34 lived with their parents in 2014, new census figures show. That's about 22.7 percent of Californians in that age group, down less than a percentage point from 2013 but well above levels seen before the last recession.

The simplest explanation for the phenomenon is a lack of economic opportunity. A large proportion of young adults still living with their parents continue to struggle to find jobs that pay enough for rent, a Bee review of census data found. Roughly 70 percent of young adults living with their parents made less than $30,000 last year.

California young adults living with parents are more likely to be men, to be unemployed, to be in a minority ethnic group, to lack a four-year college degree, to never have served in the armed forces or to work part-time, census figures show.

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But some young adults are making good money and choosing to stay at home. About 340,000 Californians between ages 25 and 34 earned at least $30,000 last year - and still lived with their parents, the Bee's review found.

These charts summarize the characteristics of Californians between 25 and 34 living with their parents.

.Notes: Shown are Californians between 25 and 34 listed as child of householder on census forms. Unemployment rate based on Californians between 25 and 34 in labor force; part-time employment rate based on those in age group with a job; earnings based on all Californians in that age group.